Date Published: 2023/05/09
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — One person died Monday morning after their vehicle was rear-ended by a dump truck on Route 23 in Pequannock Township, reports local media.
The fatal collision occurred on the northbound lanes at the intersection with Alexander Avenue at around 5:18 a.m.
A preliminary investigation shows the victim was in a 2020 Chevy Traverse that was stopped at a red light when it was hit from the back by a waste truck.
According to authorities, the truck driver and one other bystander pulled the Traverse driver out of the wrecked vehicle, which had caught fire from the impact of the crash.
The Traverse driver, who was left unconscious, was pronounced deceased at the scene despite rescue efforts from responding patrol officers and medical crew members. Local agencies have not disclosed the victim’s identity at this time.
Surveillance footage has since revealed the dump truck driver, a 45-year-old man from Newark, was using a cell phone at the time of the wreck. He faces a charge of “second-degree Reckless Vehicular Homicide.”
In adherence to the Criminal Justice Reform Act, he has been booked into Morris County Correctional Facility as he awaits his first court appearance.
Written by: Brach Eichler Injury Lawyers